The portable pole system of this invention is particularly useful for supporting fencing and the like where the poles can be easily removed after use to enable multiple use of the same ground area and facilitate conversion from one pole system design to another. Conventional fence systems, for instance, ordinarily consist of permanent fence posts spaced laterally apart and anchored into the ground while supporting vertical fencing permanently secured to the vertical posts such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,388. However, such fence systems cannot be dismantled easily and reused, but typically are permanent structures defining an enclosure.
Fence systems for crowd control or sporting events need to be temporary in nature as well as safely designed to avoid injury to both spectators and athletes. Athletic games and other gymnastic sporting events are frequently held outdoors on multi-purpose athletic fields where multiple sports such as football, soccer and baseball are held on the same field at different times of the year, but require different fencing for defining the playing field and/or maintaining crowd control. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,119 discloses a system for marking designated playing areas on multiple purpose athletic fields where vertical posts contain a spring loaded ground level attachments within a ground anchor and are adapted to bend upon impact from a player. Multiple sets of ground anchors disposed flush with the ground can mark the perimeter of a baseball playing field with an arcuate outfield fence, while another similar set of flush ground anchors can define a rectangular soccer or football playing field. In commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,601, a decorative border fence system is disclosed comprising removable vertical posts inserted directly into the ground or fitted into an aligned arrangement of ground anchors set flush with the ground to define a divider for landscaping purposes or for marking pathways on golf courses.
It now has been found that a system of vertical poles fitted with a plurality of attachment means adapted to provide easy attachment of mesh fencing, netting, or roping with the vertical poles at multiple points to facilitate the installation and removal of temporary pole installations. Each pole contains at least one attachment means comprising a connector having a multiplicity of vertically orientated aligned prongs interacting to facilitate quick connection and disconnection of the fencing, netting, or roping to the respective vertical poles. The pole system is particularly suitable for removable fences and the like but can be adapted for semi-permanent fence systems as well. The multiple pole and fence system can be easily assembled or dismantled as desired to define sports playing areas and provides a particularly safe environment to spectators, players, and others coming in contact with the poles or the fencing. The pole system can be similarly adapted for sporting events which require netting stretched between two or more vertical poles such as volleyball or tennis, especially where the nets and poles need to be removed after use. The removable pole system is similarly useful for supporting temporary rope dividers at sporting events such as golf tournaments to provide temporary vehicular traffic management and direction of crowds traveling on foot paths. The removable poles with connectors are similarly useful for landscaping purposes to support trees, bushes and plants in an upright fashion. These and other advantages will become more apparent by referring to the drawings and the detailed description of the invention.